How Jimenez looks at media

Friday, August 18, 2006

THE 56-24 vote of the committee of justice to dismiss the impeachment complaint against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for lack of substance is expected to again revive talks about the tyranny of the majority in the House of Representatives.

This might appear to be the case since, in issue after issue during the deliberation of the committee on the form and substance of the impeachment complaint, all the proposals of the minority were rejected by the majority every time an issue needed a vote.

However, one of the more astute congressmen has correctly pointed out that in impeachment proceedings, the minority is given a Constitutional advantage in the numbers game vis-à-vis the majority.

He said that in an impeachment, at least a one-third vote of the membership of the House of Representatives could prevail over two-thirds of the members. He said that this is one case where the minority could win over the majority in the voting so long as the former gets at least one-third of the vote.

The problem of the minority in the current impeachment proceeding against President Arroyo is that they could not muster the one-third voted needed to impeach the President. Even from the start, it did not even have at least 78 votes—the number needed to elevate the complaint to the Senate. House Deputy Leader Edcel Lagman described it as “dead on arrival.”

* * *

In coffee shops where journalists congregate, talk over the past few days invariably drifted to a recent column by Louie Logarta in the Daily Tribune, where he wrote about the unflattering remarks about media made by supposed philanthropist and multibillionaire Mark Jimenez.

The former Manila representative, who served a two-year jail sentence in the United States after being convicted for making illegal campaign contributions, showed his low regard for journalists, according to Logarta, with his candid remarks when he spoke before the Publishers Association of the Philippines.

Louie quoted Jimenez as telling publishers and editors present during the meeting: “I hate talking to journalists. Lahat ’yan bayaran. They will only write kung sino ang nagbibigay sa kanila ng mataas.”

Assuming that the quotes are accurate, what Jimenez said was he hates talking to journalists since all of them are extortionists who would write in favor of the highest bidder.

Louie wrote that the remarks of Jimenez were reported in the Tawi-Tawi Times by its publisher and editor Maureen Jones, who was present during the group’s executive session.

What we find a little curious here is that the story was carried only by the Tawi-Tawi Times, of all publications, but not by any other Manila-based newspaper even though it can be assumed that there were other publishers and editors present during that meeting. Most of them must heard Jimenez’ candid view of journalists and how they work.

It would be interesting to know how the publishers and editors present felt when Jimenez allegedly made those insulting remarks. Did they think Jimenez was just being facetious so they did not take his remarks seriously?

What would even be more interesting to hear is if Jimenez said something along those lines, and in the context he was quoted to have made those remarks.

Louie said that some officers of the National Press Club, particularly the club’s legal counsel, Berteni Causing, want to file a slander case against Jimenez based on his remarks, which heaped scorn and malice on Filipino newsmen.

Such a course of action is unnecessary. If it is proven that Jimenez indeed made those remarks, the best form of revenge on Jimenez is not to write or report anything about him. This would be the right thing to do since anyone who gives media space to Jimenez would be suspected of taking bribes, as he was quoted as saying, “lahat ’yan bayaran.”

Of course, it’s possible that Jimenez might have reasons to say what he said if he really said it. His remarks might be the fault of his media operator. It’s possible that his media operator is collecting money to be given to all journalists who have interviewed and written or reported something about Jimenez. It’s also possible that his media operator has a list of journalists supposed to be on Jimenez payroll. In all probability, most, if not all of the supposed payola would not have gone to the journalists but remained in the hands of the operator. This has happened before.

In any case, Jimenez might want to clarify if he really said those uncomplimentary remarks. If he did not say such things, then he is getting savaged in coffee shop conversations for no reason at all.

Chef Niño Logarta’s Fruity Cornish Hens

By Vangie Baga-Reyes
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Other Articles Chef Niño Loarta’s Fruity Cornish Hens Finally, shop/resto for coco lovers How to stop mindless eating Wonders of herbs extolled Mom-daughter team makes malunggay tea Toxic mercury in fish Archive

MANILA, Philippines—“The simpler, the better.”

That’s how chef Niño Logarta describes his style of dishing out a romantic dinner for his special someone. Fuss-free preparations. No-frills approach.

“So you have less time in the kitchen and more time with your SO (significant other),” says 29-year-old Logarta, who says he’s in a relationship right now.

Though cooking for his partner is a spontaneous action, a spur-of-the-moment thing, Logarta makes sure the kind of food he cooks compensates for all the missing trappings.

“The taste says a lot more than the presentation,” Logarta swears. “I don’t have a big house so I don’t do a six-course meal. When we go out or watch a movie, we’d drop by at a nearby grocery and whatever I see there fresh I get it. Like fresh pampano. I’d stuff it with spices and herbs. Or, lamb which I’d grill or bake in the oven. Simple things lang. No elaborate ones.”

Much like this Fruity Cornish Hens, which he glazes with different fruit flavors and nuts and roasted to perfection. The Chicken and Brown Rice Casserole is also an easy-to-prepare meal, where most of the ingredients are mixed together into a bowl and baked.

“Fruits are not necessarily for desserts but also for savory dishes,” Logarta says. “They’re high in fiber so it makes the dish healthy as well. Not to mention that fruits add elegance to any type of dish. ”

Cooking for himself

Interestingly, if he prepares simple stuff for his SO, then expect that he comes up with an even more straightforward, basic meal for himself.

With his busy schedule, he hardly cooks at home. In fact, he’s got a cabinet-ful of Century Tuna Light which he can eat almost every day.

“Sometimes I eat it straight from the can with lots of rice and top it with kalamansi juice. Yummy,” says Logarta, a culinary arts graduate of the Center for Culinary Arts in Katipunan, Quezon City. He is the son of journalist Louie Logarta and grandson of former Inquirer Lifestyle section editor Llita Logarta.

“Or, sometimes, I just eat in a carinderia before heading home,” he says. “I’m too tired to cook and serve myself. But, of course, unless there are special occasions at home and my cousins will come I will prepare something gourmet-ish.”

Logarta is currently the product endorser and chef consultant for Kinox, a high-end line of pots and pans. He’s also one of the chef-hosts of “Ka-Toque; Lutong Barkada,” aired every Saturday, 11 a.m., on QTV 11.

The show teaches viewers how to make delicious yet affordable meals with ingredients available in their kitchens.

Fruity Cornish Hens
(Cornish hens with fruit, walnuts, and honey kalamansi glaze)

2 tart green apples, peeled, cored and diced
1/3 c dried apricots/peaches, cut into thin slices
2/3 c raisins/prunes
1 c walnuts, chopped
¼ tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp butter, melted
½ c green peas
½ c
Red and green bell peppers, julienned
½ c kalamansi juice
½ c honey
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp salt
2 (1¼ lb) Cornish hens, halved
¼ tsp fresh-ground black pepper

Heat the oven to 425°F. In a roasting pan, combine apples, apricots, raisins, walnuts, cinnamon and butter. Spread the mixture over the bottom of the pan.

In a small bowl, combine the kalamansi juice, honey, thyme, and ¼ teaspoon of the salt to make a glaze. Sprinkle the Cornish hens with the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper and set them breast-side down on top of the fruit-and-nut mixture. Brush the hens with some of the glaze and then cook for 10 minutes.

Remove the roasting pan from the oven. Stir the fruit-and-nut mixture and turn the hens over. Brush them with more of the glaze, return the pan to the oven, and cook until just done, about 15 minutes longer. Glaze the hens one final time and serve them with the fruit-and-nut dressing.

Chicken and Brown Rice Casserole

2 tbsp butter or vegetable oil
½ c bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 c cooked chicken, diced
2 c green beans, parboiled
1 c diced carrots, parboiled
1 c celery, diced
1 c red bell peppers, diced
1 (10¾-oz) can condensed cream of celery/asparagus soup (Campbell’s)
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp dry mustard
½ tsp fresh thyme
1 c heavy cream
500 g cooked brown rice
1 c grated sharp Cheddar
Salt and pepper
Chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat butter or oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add bacon, onion and garlic, then sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl. Add all remaining ingredients to bowl and mix together until thoroughly combined.
Pour into a greased 3-quart casserole dish. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand for a few minutes before serving.

Gov’t should lower taxes on indigenous sources of energy

BLURBAL THRUSTS

06/19/2008

With the price of crude oil reaching ridiculous heights in the international market in the past few months, there is a definite need for government to now reconsider its decision to tax natural gas which we have plenty of and which, if we produce enough of it, could lessen our insane dependence on these Opec officials who are bleeding the whole world dry.

Under the present set-up, the government collects taxes equivalent to P0.04 centavos per kilowatt hour for power generated by imported coal, up to P0.70 centavos for geothermal gas and a staggering P1.30 for natural gas.

Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano hit the nail on the head in saying Mrs. Arroyo had failed to implement a provision of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (Epira) which called for a uniform implementation of taxes for both renewable and non-renewable energy sources.

At a recent hearing of the Senate Energy Committee, Cayetano pointed out Section 35 of Epira allows Mrs. Arroyo to implement a uniform tax or levy for all power sources — coal and indigenous energy sources.

Cayetano said the President, by using this prerogative, could at the wave of her almighty pen immediately bring down electricity rates. So it is now entirely up to her if she so desires, not having to resort to mere palliatives and stop-gap measures like the P500 handouts to millions of Meralco customers which are clearly intended to generate pogi points for her unpopular administration..

Section 35 is as follows: “The President of the Philippines shall reduce the royalties, returns and taxes collected for the exploitation of all indigenous sources of energy, including but not limited to, natural gas and geothermal.”

The objective here is to achieve parity in the existing tax rates for imported coal, crude oil, bunker fuel and other fuels.

Due to the glaring disparity in the taxes levied on fuel sources, investors would rather build coal-fired power plants which are so much more expensive and cause pollution, rather than plants devoted to harness wind, solar, geothermal power and bio-fuels.

It was pointed out that Epira calls for a zero tax on oil and power, but Congress in effect amended Epira when it legislated upon the prodding of Malacañang the Expanded value-added tax law imposing 12-percent tax on oil and power.

“Pursuant to the objective of lowering electricity rates to end users, sales of generated power by generation companies shall be value-added tax (VAT) or zero rated,” Cayetano quoted from Epira.

The economy is in danger of stalling as the purchasing power of the people continues to weaken due to continued oil prices hikes. Consumers are getting squeezed as pump prices have more than doubled in the last three to four years, and OFW incomes have diminished by P10 to P15 per dollar.

By suspending the VAT on oil and power, the President will be “reflating” the economy and preventing an inflationary spiral. This is the right thing to do. What the government will lose in doing away with VAT on oil and power will certainly return a thousand-fold in the form of increased consumer spending.

The government, in effect, through its distorted tax policies, is encouraging the use of foreign fuels (and creating jobs in foreign countries) rather than help in developing domestic sources of fuel.

Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand have hardly any royalty or tax on domestic sources of fuel. They even go a step further by subsidizing consumption of local fuels.

The Filipino consumer has always been told that the price of their electricity is one of the highest in Asia, second only to economic superpower Japan. Well, the ball is now in the hands of Malacañang. Let’s see what it does with it.

Sour grapes

BLURBAL THRUSTS
By Louie Logarta
05/08/2008, The Daily Tribune

Losers will be losers. And as expected, the losers in the just-concluded elections of the National Press Club (NPC) last Sunday — which was made all the more interesting due to the behind-the-scenes participation of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. and the Government Service Insurance System which allegedly pumped in more than P1 million to finance the campaign of certain candidates — are sour-graping.

Who can blame them, after all they were dealt a stinging defeat (14-1) by members of the Press Freedom Party (PFP) whose campaign platform was anchored on performance. The accomplishments of the PFP, most of whose members are incumbent NPC officials, are to say the least impressive.

During the two-year term from 2006-2008, they were able to have the Club’s half-century old elevator (Sen. Manny Villar was once trapped inside the old one when its motor somehow malfunctioned while he was going up to attend a function of the Press Photographers of the Philippines) replaced at a cost of some P1.6 million; repainted the façade of the NPC building which cost around P400,000; retired partially the Club’s old debt to the Meralco which past NPC presidents, including two who are among the current officials’ most virulent critics due to vested reasons, to the tune of some P1.3 million; established a scholarship program for deserving offspring of legitimate NPC members; provided medicines of needy NPC members; set up a pool of top-notch lawyers for the defense of newsmen in courts, especially those caught up in libel cases, among others.

The support base of the PFP was made up of hundreds of tabloid newsmen who had joined forces during the NPC polls with the steely resolve of repudiating those fellow mediamen, as well as paid hacks of their financiers (including this PR man underwriting the expenses of selected columnists and business reporters during the Monday Club at Wack Wack) who had unfairly impugned their integrity by calling them “corrupt hao shiao journalists” during the vitriolic demolition campaign conducted in the campaign run-up.

But it was precisely all this negative campaigning, the incessant branding of tabloid newsmen in bought-and-paid-for newspaper stories and columns as hao shiaos or pseudo-journalists and the thoughtless expenditure of alleged taxpayers’ money that transformed the ragtag tabloid newspapermen into a band of brothers who are now a potent force in NPC politics for years to come.

One bright spot, though, in the super-heated NPC polls, was the unusual interest it managed to stir up among the lifetime members, many of whom who hadn’t showed up in decades. The number of lifetime members who had come to vote was pegged at 152 by the NPC election committee, which was ably headed by veteran journalist Willy Baun. We were told it was the biggest in the Club’s 56-year history.

The observation brought up by the sour-graping losers that three small tabloids have more voting members in the NPC as compared to the nation’s three biggest national dailies (meaning the Inquirer, Star and Bulletin) does hold water.

But it should be pointed out, lest it be forgot, that the Inquirer and the Star totally withdrew from participating in NPC affairs some 18 years ago because they were disgusted with all the alleged corruption and shenanigans going on.

The Inquirer people (myself included) began pulling out after editor Roy Acosta was trounced in the NPC presidential elections by a Bulletin man whom they had accused of padding the voters list with non-existent correspondents, editorial assistants, copy boys and drivers from his organization. And the Star did also a year later after the same Bulletin man soundly defeated one of its people, also during the presidential derby; but this was after the Bulletin guy welshed on a gentleman’s agreement he had made with the Star man (who at the time was his vice president) that he wouldn’t be seeking reelection.

Incidentally, the newly-elected officers of the NPC for the 2008-2010 term are Benny Antiporda of Remate, president; Rolly “Lakay” Gonzalo of UNTV and dwIZ, vice-president; Amor Virata of Remate, treasurer; Berteni Causing of Hataw and Police Files Tonite, auditor; Board members Jerry Yap of Hataw, Marlon Purificacion of People’s Journal, Percy Lapid of dwIZ, Alvin Feliciano of Hataw, William Depasupil of the Manila Times, Ronniel de Guzman of Manila Bulletin, Joel Egco of Manila Standard-Today, lifetime member Freddie Manalac and Rolando Cobarrubias of the Daily Tribune; and yours truly as secretary.

Truly, those who laugh last laugh loudest. ###

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo swears in the new officers of the National Press Club (NPC)

August 23, 2006

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo swears in the new officers of the National Press Club (NPC) led by its president Roy Mabasa (seventh from left) during oath-taking ceremonies Wednesday (August 23) at Malacanang's Rizal Hall. Other NPC officers are (not in order) Benny Antiporda, vice president (Remate); Louie Logarta, secretary (Daily Tribune); Amor Virata, treasurer (Remate); Jun Cobarrubias, auditor (Daily Tribune); and Directors Jerry Yap (Hataw); Alvin Feliciano (Hataw); Joey Venancio (Police Files Tonite); William Dipasupil (Manila Times); Dennis Fetalino (Peoples Journal); Joel Egco (Manila Standard); Generoso Conrado (Peoples Journal); Rolly Gonzalo (Channel 4); Romeo Togonon (Manila Times); Samuel Julian (Panay News); and Mario Cuenco (NPC). Also in photo is Press Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye (extreme left). (Exequiel Supera - OPS-NIB Photo)

Manansala mural sale sparks furor in NPC

Thursday, January 18, 2007

By Katrice R. Jalbuena, Reporter

National Press Club “elders” or lifetime members are planning to file a lawsuit against officers of the organization for what they describe as the “clandestine” sale of the Vicente Manansala mural that once graced the dining room of the historic NPC building by the Pasig River.

One of the opponents of the sale, Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist Neal Cruz, also claimed the defunct Manila Chronicle, owned by the powerful Lopez clan, had donated the mural in the 1950s with a proviso that it remained as the NPC’s property.

Cruz quoted Manansala’s friend, columnist I.P. Soliongco, as saying the Lopez clan had asked the NPC to return the mural if the club did not want it anymore.

“I relayed this information to some NPC officers and members, but apparently the present board disregarded it,” Cruz said in his column As I See It.

However, former NPC president and current secretary, Louie Logarta, told The Manila Times there is no documentary evidence on the alleged sale ban.

Neither do the club’s bylaws forbid the mural’s sale, Logarta added.

“One of the argument used by critics of the sale is the supposed provision of the Lopez’” Logarta said. “This was brought up during the General Assembly on October 27, 2006, when the decision was made to sell the mural. Several lawyers were consulted. However, they could not find such a provision in the bylaws.”

Hard decision

“We are in a damned if we do, damned if we don’t position,” Logarta acknowledged. “We are being criticized for selling the mural, but if we didn’t sell the mural, if we let it rot till it fell down, we would still have been criticized.”

Logarta said sale was not clandestine as it was approved during a general assembly in October.

The NPC lifetime member and former Manila Times editor in chief, Cip Roxas, said officers talked with some elders, including Cruz late last year.

“His only proviso was, that the money not be touched,” Roxas said in a telephone interview.

He said the board resolution approve the sale came after the October assembly.

Few members then had complained, Roxas noted. Those that did, he said, were “people who haven’t been to the NPC for 25 years.”

Roxas said some National Museum experts had inspected the mural.

“They said, ‘this is easily worth P50 million,’” Roxas recalled. “But they couldn’t afford to buy it.”

Asked if the NPC officers had gotten in touch with the Lopez family, Roxas replied, “I was under the impression that they did.”

Conditions

Logarta said the NPC sold the Manansala to the Heritage Galleries of Odette and Mario Alcandara after they promised to restore the badly damaged mural.

Logarta said another condition was a ban on the export of the mural.

The mural was partially damaged by a fire and then restored with the help of other artists like Ang Kiukok, Malang, Cris Cruz, Gig de Pio and several others.

The mural’s location, on a wall the dining hall shared with the restaurant’s kitchen—and generations of smoking journalists—also increased the wear and tear on the Manansala.

“We could not afford to restore it,” admitted Logarta. “We were not in position to take care of such an important piece of art. It’s a national treasure that should be taken care of and preserved.”

According to Logarta, the money from the sale has been deposited in a time deposit with the PNB. The receipt is with the NPC office, he added.

The money will be used to pay the Clubs various outstanding debts to Meralco, PLDT and Maynilad.

PGMA's Speech during the National Press Club's Gridiron Night

Fiesta Pavilion, Manila Hotel (30 April 2002)

Thank you very much Secretary Yong-Yong Afable.

Officers and members of the National Press Club led by Louie Logarta; officials of the Philippine government; other distinguished journalists and media practitioners; mga mahal kong kababayan; ladies and gentlemen:

I am pleased to pretend to be happy to join you tonight. Actually, I hate going to things like this. But I am sure that unlike me, you are genuinely happy that I am here because you do need me to make hakot for you. Not hakot the crowd but hakot those who will buy the tickets to this dinner -- because those are two different things. Because -- you notice how many empty tables there are? -- they bought seats but they are not interested in coming.

Paying guests like this are paying for the tickets not because they like me, it's just that the National Press Club after all these years now knows who are the usual milking cows. the government agencies who are afraid the press will be mean to them if they don't buy a table, or those who want to be promoted and therefore, they need a good press to advocate for them when promotion time comes. And the business groups who are afraid the government will be mean to them if they don't buy a table in an affair where the president is the guest of honor.

Well, you know who they are. You know who to sell tickets to because this is such a long-standing tradition -- the Gridiron. The Gridiron stems from a time-honored tradition of reminding Presidents of the power of the press -- as if the Presidents' need to be reminded. I know I don't need to be reminded. I am reminded every day when I read the papers, I'm reminded every night when I watch television. So I'm like those milking cows of the government and the private sector who buy your tables. I know you'll hit me even if I come, but you will hit me even more if I don't come. So I have to come. So, here I am.

Let me congratulate National Press Club president Louie Logarta and the National Press Club board of directors for hosting tonight's Gridiron dinner.

You have managed to continue a tradition and a media institution -- the tradition and the institution are a great dinner and a great skit. But traditionally, both are... Well, no... Traditionally, the dinner is tasty but traditionally the skit is tasteless. I am sure tonight's dinner and tonight's skit will be in accordance with the tradition. In other words, I am sure the food will be good but the skit will be bad I say good food -- because I like to be on the good side of Don Emilio Yap -- and I say bad skit anyway, because no matter what i'll say I'll be on the bad side of Louie Logarta's paper anyway. So, I might as well tell the truth about my judgment.

And I understand tickets are more expensive this year. On the other hand, I understand that you have not raised your fees for the writers, the director and the producer of the skit. What a shame doing it just before Labor Day at that. The Secretary of Labor should look into this.

But what I enjoy about Gridirons is that rather than professionals, you get amateurs from among your own to star in the show. Sure, they get to be boring that's why you have tickets sold out but tables empty, because they're boring. But they're not boring for me. Not for me because I've loved to watch plays and movies whether they're Broadway class, Hollywood class or class play class when I was still small, I was so stage struck. I'm still small, so I'm still stage struck.

And as far as I'm concerned, even if your captive audience, rather the staff of your captive audience -- see, they don't come so they just give out the tickets they bought to their staff -- even if the audience is bored, our actors will enliven my evening as far as I'm concerned with their spontaneity, their expected lapses, the inevitable misquotes and the sense of innocence just like my cabinet members. But actually, my cabinet members are not so innocent. They're getting wise to the ways of the world. Look, tonight there's no single cabinet member here in this hall. See, how wise they are -- they have better things to do with their time.

But on my part, because I have to be here and I like plays anyway, I look forward to the performance of the cast. This cast, just like my presidency, doesn't have to be great, just good. Or, some of you might even say, just like my presidency, this cast doesn't even have to be good basta makaraos lang, maka-survive lang.

Many members of the cast, in fact, are responsible for the bad press that Malacañang is now having. But I forgive them. To err is journalism; to forgive is presidential.

Speaking of the Presidency, I understand Louie Logarta is running for reelection on may 5th. I shall not wish him luck because I might be accused of electioneering; also, because actually I do not wish him luck. I understand Louie is running against two other contenders -- both from the Manila Bulletin. Remember what I said about wanting to be always on the good side of don Emilio? Now you know where my sympathies lie.

I understand there have been some intramural wars among the officers and directors of the National Press Club. Well and good. Will you believe me if I say that this is part of our media strategy to promote internal wars within the press? And will you believe me if i say that this is a responsibility that I entrusted to Angie Reyes? Remember he was the only cabinet member who was here, who was in the press club last year during the Gridiron. Now, even he is not here, not because he was plotting all your internal wars among you, but because he found out that cabinet members don't really come. So he has better things to do with his time so, he is not here either.

They say that Malacañang is a snake pit. But from what I have observed all throughout my public career of the NPC, the National Press Club is also a snake pit. And I guess, Malacañang is a snake pit, the press club is snake pit, now we know why Bobi Tiglao decided to leave for awhile. He couldn't stand the hissing. Imagine two snake pits, (laughter) having to live there, Malacañang na nga, media pa. Kawawa naman si Bobi Tiglao talaga.

In fact, most presidents have trepidations about the gridiron skit, even my cabinet you can see. But as for me, I have none. Maybe because last year the jokes were more on my predecessor than on me. Remember, that was the night before his arrest? But I think this year the jokes will be more on me, because one year is plenty of time to collect ridicule-worthy material about me. Maybe it will also be the night before my arrest. Anyway, I know how to take jokes at my expense. Really, I do. If you don't believe me, tatarayan ko kayo.

Filipinos have a great sense of humor. Our gross national humor is arguably the highest in the world. I should mention this in my next state of the nation address. It sounds good, even if it's irrelevant to the fight against terrorism and poverty. Anyway, we can always have a debate. Which is more relevant, the gross national humor or the gross national product? Or maybe, which is less relevant to poverty?

So, you can see I'm in a state of denial. I'm denying that you don't like me. I'm denying that I'm worried about what you'll say about me. So, in my state of denial, I'm pretending to be more worried about what you have to say about the katzenjammer twins, I mean, the Alvarez twins -- Sonny and Bebot. I'm worried about what you have to say about Lito Camacho whether he's mama's boy, wife's boy, daughter's boy, sister's boy. I'm worried about what you have to say about Dick Gordon, 'Wow Philippines" or "kiss me kate."

I'm worried about how you will portray your own noel "burnout" Cabrera. Look, even he is not here now -- actually, he's on vacation in the U.S. he needs a vacation because of his burnout. Or Bobi "scholar" Tiglao or Rafael Paeng "two-hundred peso bill" Buenaventura.

And is it true that you will portray Bobby Romulo as the real Secretary of Foreign Affairs? And how true is the rumor that your skit will portray Hernando Perez as the lover boy -- the lover boy of Batangas that is.

But please don't be too hard on my cabinet. I am protective of my cabinet members -- I only wish they were also quick enough to be protective of me. You can see, they've made me face you alone. They do that all the time, they make me face the world alone.

The fact is life in government is like going through a gridiron script. You get ridiculed for your mistakes, and you get jibes about your accomplishments. But we, as public officials must take all these things in stride even if we feel so pikon. Okay lang ang mataray, huwag lang pikon. Anong diperensya? Ang taray, external; ang pikon internal. I'm always going to explain -- madalas naririnig ko sa T.V. set 'pag nanonood ako ng news na sinabi ng beat reporter na napikon na naman si President Arroyo. Actually, hindi ako napipikon, mataray lang ako talaga. I have very even tempered, always mataray. But I have not internalized my katarayan, it's just a reflex action. It's not a deliberate expression of my true message.

Somebody told me that there is a growing effort in the media to play up the good news. Wow! He could have fooled me. I still see very few items that seem to go against the tradition of reporting the seedy part of the day. But I do hope indeed there are reformists. I wish they would start with the newspaper of the NPC president. Hopeless case? Nagbigay na ako ng one million sa National Press Club, ganun pa rin sila.. sige na nga, i'll settle for improving the direction and the acting in the Gridiron skit.

But I really appreciate the good news -- about personal heroism, values, human worth and community triumphs. Sometimes we tend to gloss over these things even if they are the real stuff of nationhood.

I see no reason why a good provincial story should not make page one, or a good metro report land on premium space. Let's give credit to the small-town mayor who helped us recover Jeffrey Schilling, or the hometown entrepreneur from San Rafael Bulacan who developed a 15,000-peso core shelter for calamity victims. Let's give credit to the people, they deserve a break.

By all means, let the media take down the spotty woodwork. God knows there are many underperforming public servants and there are many lousy programs. But let the battle focus on issues, on policy, on principles. We need relief from personal attacks so that the issues will surface in clear light.

Yes, get to the heart of a controversial policy. Analyze a bad piece of legislation, a bad proclamation. But do it with fervor and a genuine penchant for chronology and detail. Investigative journalism is one of the grindstones of policy. Done professionally, it promotes public interest.

Sometime this year, the national press club will celebrate its 50th year. Your golden anniversary will be a good time to reflect on the enduring relations between government and the press. Much of this relationship has involved golden moments, like EDSA 1 and EDSA 2. You are among those who led, and the people followed.

So, sometime this year, on the occasion of your golden anniversary, I would like to be able to invite you to a different kind of Gridiron -- a skit put up by the Malacañang staff and the Cabinet Secretaries. We will lampoon the media and the members of the journalistic profession.

The script will be written by Acting Press Secretary Yong-Yong Afable, with emotional flourishes by senior presidential consultant Dante Ang. And Dodi Limcaoco will take care of the miscues. It will be a showdown between government, the good and the press, the bad.

I would like Vice President Tito Guingona to head the production, with Romulo prompting him from the sidelines -- not Bert Romulo but Bobby Romulo.

What are some of the themes and sub-themes of the Malacañang skit? Act one: envelopmental journalism; act two: why everybody wants to be a columnist; act three: how to be a publisher without really trying; act four: the ac-dc syndrome; and act five: the kuryente school of newswriting.

I hope you will have an enjoyable evening rin as enjoyable as the evening I hope I will have tonight. If you see the few government officials who are here tonight crying -- the way I cried when I saw 'bagong buwan' -- you can be sure it's both tears of joy and tears of pain. Because, I guess I would rather cry than walk out. I hope you have good reviews tomorrow. But if not, blame the lighting.

As for me, of course I'll blame you. But more than that, I'll thank you. I'll thank you for the warmth, the camaraderie and the laughter. So, break a leg!

Thank you.